Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Oversight and Investigations
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Huffman Slam Trump Admin Favor to Secretary Bernhardt’s Former Client that Risks Extinction For Salmon
Washington, D.C. - Today, House Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) released the following statements regarding the Trump administration's proposal to increase water deliveries through the federal Central Valley Project (CVP) by weakening longstanding protections for endangered species in the ecologically fragile San Francisco Bay Delta. Even by the low standards of … Continue Reading
10.15.19
Chair Grijalva, Leading Democrats Promise Oversight of Trump Administration Proposal to Remove Protections for Millions of Acres of American Rainforest
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and other leading Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee today promised targeted oversight following the U.S. Forest Service's proposal to roll back existing protections for millions of acres of roadless national forests in Alaska. By undoing decades of environmental protections in roadless areas, the Trump administration threatens severe damage to millions of acres of pristine ecosystems, irreplaceable habitats and invaluabl… Continue Reading
09.25.19
Grijalva Letter to Sec. Bernhardt Requesting Documents on BLM Reorganization September 25 2019
09.20.19
NEXT WEEK: Full Committee Markup, Full Committee Joint Hearing, Several Legislative and Oversight Hearings
Washington, D.C. - The Committee on Natural Resources is hosting five hearings next week, including a joint hearing between the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Foreign Affairs on Sustaining U.S. Pacific Insular Relationships. Energy and Mineral Resources Legislative Hearing: Fossil Fuel Development: Protecting Taxpayers and Eliminating Industry Giveaways When: Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time Where: 1324 Longworth House Office Building Bills Considered … Continue Reading
09.10.19
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Huffman Request Documents From Commerce Sec. Wilbur Ross on “Sharpiegate” Political Interference, Threats Against NOAA Staff
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, wrote to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross today requesting a series of documents on his reported threats against long-time National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials in connection with President Trump's inaccurate, widely debunked claim that Hurricane Dorian would put Alabama at risk of storm damage. The Natural Resources Comm… Continue Reading
09.06.19
Chair Grijalva Asks Inspector General to Expand Probe of DOI FOIA Handling to Include “Supplemental Awareness Review” for Top Political Appointees
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter to Inspector General Mark Greenblatt at the Department of the Interior (DOI) asking him to assess DOI's "Supplemental Awareness Review" process as part of its ongoing probe of how Interior responds to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The supplemental review process, begun by the Trump administration, is an opaque internal directive that seems to mandate heightened scrutiny of any response to a FOIA request … Continue Reading
08.07.19
Chair Grijalva Statement on Report of Puerto Rican Accounting Firm’s Potential Document Destruction Amidst Calls for Investigation
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on a recent report that BDO Puerto Rico, a financial services and accounting firm with multiple Puerto Rican government contracts, may be shredding documents following his and Rep. Nydia Velázquez's request for a formal investigation of the firm's audits and work products. "The Puerto Rican people are tired of corruption, tired of being taken advantage of, and tired of wrongdoing going unpunished.… Continue Reading
08.06.19
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Velázquez Call on Puerto Rico Oversight Board to Investigate Accounting Firm’s Contracting Work Following Recent Indictment
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) sent a previously unreported letter to Natalie Jaresko, executive director of the Puerto Rico Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB), on Aug. 2 urging the Board to investigate BDO Puerto Rico, the firm contracted to prepare audits or accounting services for many Puerto Rican government agencies. The letter, available at http://bit.ly/2OIEHpd, comes shortly after BDO Puerto Rico managing p… Continue Reading
08.02.19
Comprehensive New IG Report Highlights Urgent Need for Interior Dept. to Take Greater Action Against Sexual Harassment
Washington, D.C. - The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of the Interior (DOI) today released a new report, Opportunities Exist To Improve the U.S. Department of the Interior's Efforts To Address Sexual Harassment, that confirms in detail the need for the department and its agencies to take stronger action against sexual harassment of employees. Committee on Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement: "The OIG has done a gre… Continue Reading
07.30.19
IG Investigation Requested by Chairs Grijalva, Cummings of Former Secretary Zinke’s Email Use is Now Part of Larger Justice Department Criminal Probe
Washington, D.C. - The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of the Interior (DOI) has confirmed that its investigation of former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's email use - an investigation requested by Committee on Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) - has been folded into a larger criminal probe being coordinated with the Department of Justice (DOJ). On April 19, 2018, the lawmaker… Continue Reading
07.30.19
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Lowenthal Push Interior Secretary for Documents as DOI Ignores Taxpayer Risks of Offshore Oil and Gas Decommissioning Costs
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Alan S. Lowenthal (D-Calif.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, sent a letter today to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt seeking documents on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) decision to cancel regulatory measures that would have protected U.S. taxpayers from billions of dollars in costs to remove disused offshore oil and gas infrastructure. The letter questions BOEM's failure to develop n… Continue Reading
07.29.19
Chair Grijalva and Leading Democrats Push Interior Secretary for Documents, Urge Arctic Leasing Pause Pending Investigation of Political Pressure
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and three senior Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee sent a letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt today seeking documents that might explain the rewriting of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) - initially prepared by career staff at multiple agencies within the Department of the Interior (DOI) - to downplay the risks of new oil and gas drilling along the coastal plain of Alaska. The letter - also signed… Continue Reading
07.15.19
Chair Grijalva on Expected Bureau of Land Management Move to Colorado: This is Industry Favoritism and Staff Cutting, Not Improving Public Service
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on reports that Interior Secretary David Bernhardt intends to move the Bureau of Land Management headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Grand Junction, Colo. Bernhardt, a native of nearby Rifle, Colo., and other top Interior officials have resisted the Committee's calls for transparency on the Trump administration's plans to "reorganize" the Interior Department or affiliated agencies. "This administrat… Continue Reading
07.01.19
Chair Grijalva, Ranking Member Bishop Seek Documents as Investigation of Alleged Human Rights Abuses by Wildlife Advocacy Groups Intensifies
Washington D.C. - Today, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Ranking Member Rob Bishop (R-Utah) sent a letter to Carter Roberts, the President and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), requesting documents on WWF's procedures, role in, and knowledge of alleged human rights abuses revealed by Buzzfeed News in March. The letter can be viewed at http://bit.ly/2KO8473. The letter summarizes the concerns: "Despite the importance of protecting wildlife and preven… Continue Reading
06.18.19
Chair Grijalva: Newly Reported Political Interference in Interior Department Responses to Freedom of Information Act “Dangerous, Calls for Oversight”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today released the following statement on this morning's report in Roll Call that senior political officials at the Department of the Interior are reviewing responses to Freedom of Information Act requests and in some cases directing staff not to include certain material. "The Interior Department under President Trump has treated information as a political weapon, regardless of what our laws require or what democracy demands of its lead… Continue Reading
05.16.19
Chair Grijalva: Secretary Bernhardt “Not Losing Sleep” Over Climate Change Concerns Me – and So Does His Lack of Transparency With Congress
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today said he is seriously concerned about the direction of the Department of the Interior (DOI) following Interior Secretary David Bernhardt's testimony yesterday, his first before the Committee since taking the top post. Bernhardt revealed his total lack of concern about climate change during his appearance, telling the Committee he has "not lost any sleep" over the issue despite recent news that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are t… Continue Reading
05.15.19
VIDEO: Interior Secretary David Bernhardt Says He’s “Not Losing Any Sleep” Over Atmospheric Carbon Being at 800,000-Year High
Washington, D.C. - Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) today asked Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to explain his level of concern about the fact that carbon in the atmosphere is at an 800,000-year high. Bernhardt's response: "I'm not losing any sleep over it." You can watch the full video highlight of the exchange at http://bit.ly/2VuUyWR.… Continue Reading
05.06.19
In First Joint Request, Chair Grijalva, Ranking Member Bishop Seek GAO Report on Potential Human Rights Violations by International Anti-Poaching Units
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Ranking Member Rob Bishop (R-Utah) today sent a joint letter requesting a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of whether federal funding of anti-poaching efforts has supported human rights abuses. The request comes in the wake of reports that anti-poaching and anti-wildlife organizations have allegedly engaged in severe human rights abuses. The full letter is available at http://bit.ly/2Lox0TD. As the lawmakers point out… Continue Reading
05.06.19
In First Joint Request, Chair Grijalva, Ranking Member Bishop Seek GAO Report on Potential Human Rights Violations by International Anti-Poaching Units
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Ranking Member Rob Bishop (R-Utah) today sent a joint letter requesting a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of whether federal funding of anti-poaching efforts has supported human rights abuses. The request comes in the wake of reports that anti-poaching and anti-wildlife organizations have allegedly engaged in severe human rights abuses. The full letter is available at http://bit.ly/2Lox0TD. As the lawmakers point out,… Continue Reading
05.03.19
Chair Grijalva: Hearing Demonstrates That Austerity Is Destroying Puerto Rico, Fiscal Board Doesn’t Respect Needs of Puerto Rican People
Washington, D.C. - In the wake of yesterday's hearing on the economic future of Puerto Rico, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva today questioned the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico's one-sided focus on punishing austerity measures and service cuts to the island's already shattered economy and questioned Executive Director Natalie Jaresko's assertion that Puerto Ricans are unwilling to work if they receive government financial assistance. If the Board intends to maintain its c… Continue Reading